I have a coupon code worth $5 off your first month: use 63112

Instantcert has a comprehensive library of Biology flashcards. If your daughter likes flashcards, I'd recommend it. It will definitely help her prepare for the Biology subject test. Instantcert flashcards are "fill in the blank" - you're supposed to type words or phrases. By typing the answers, the information is retained better, but my boys didn't want to do that, so they answered in their heads and then typed any letter to submit and read the answer. They didn't care if the program said they were wrong. If you decide to try it (they have a risk free trial) you can use discount code 85722 to save some money. The Natural Sciences CLEP is 50% biology. If she does well on Biology, it shouldn't take long to prepare for Natural Sciences. We found the REA books and Biology DeMystified to be a big help. This past summer, my son spent about 2 months studying for the Biology CLEP and did well on the test. Then he spent another two weeks studying for Natural Science CLEP and did even better on it. Finally he spent one more week studying for the Environment and Humanity DSST and scored well on this exam, too. There's lots of overlap in these!

The Spanish CLEP is accepted for up to 12 college credits at many colleges. Twelve credits is equal to one full-time semester at college! If your student is going to study Spanish in high school anyway, why not plan on taking the CLEP? (CLEP credit doesn't keep anyone from taking a class in college if they want to, but it can help those who aren't fond of foreign language test out of this requirement in college.) That being said, it's hard to find good foreign language instruction. Here is a site that has a no-risk, inexpensive ($9.95/month) program. I like it because it is targeted to CLEP prep. It's also favorably reviewed by college professors as effective.

As a homeschooler, it's hard to find good foreign language instruction. We used Rosetta Stone for high school, but I recently found a better option. Here is a site that has a no-risk, inexpensive ($9.95/month) program. I like it because it has a CLEP-prep option. It's also favorably reviewed by college professors as effective. Reviews from professors are posted on their site. The Spanish CLEP is accepted for up to 12 college credits at many universities. Let your student's efforts do double duty by earning college credit while they're completing their foreign language requirement in high school. Sandra

Updated link for more info about earning college credit with ALEKS: http://www.degreeplanners.com/?About_ACE%2C_FEMA%2C_%26amp%3B_NFA:More_about_ALEKS.com

Have you tried ALEKS? It's a similar computer-based tutorial. Some of the courses are evaluated for college credit. See this post: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235938.

Consider taking CLEP tests along with dual enrollment. (Or, depending on your daughter's age, before! There is no age requirement for credit-by-exam.) Sometimes, community college courses transfer as "elective credit" whereas credit-by-exam, if accepted, usually has course equivalencies. Course equivalencies are preferable because they can count as prerequisites for higher level courses. Another benefit is that credit-by-exam usually doesn't factor in to tuition surcharge calculations (NC has a 50% tuition surcharge at state universities for students earning more than 140 credits in a 4-yr program.) At our local community college, you can earn an AA with 43 credits from credit by exam and 21 credits in residence. Credit-by-exam is a good way to get placed into higher-level math at the community college, too. The placement tests they use (ours uses Accuplacer) seems to max-out at Pre-Calculus. If you want to start at Calculus at our community college, you can do so by passing the Pre-Calc CLEP. Speaking of Accuplacer, I know many students who didn't study for the Accuplacer and are now trapped in a long series of remedial math courses. Passing a math CLEP exam would allow them to sklp all that. More about CLEP and high school here: http://degreeplanners.com/?Welcome_to_DegreePlanners:Homeschool_Students:Earn_College_Credit_in_HS

The Spanish CLEP can be worth up to 12 credits if your student's score is high enough and the school accepts it. (Spanish I and Spanish II are the same exam; the score determines whether your student gets credit for level 1 or level 2.) The CLEP can be taken any time. You don't have to wait for specific subject test dates. See the FAQs on my site http://degreeplanners.com to find out where to take a test. I would recommend signing up for Instantcert.com. Use discount code 85722 to save some money. Instantcert doesn't have flashcards for Spanish, and you won't see the Spanish CLEP listed as one of the exams they have prep materials for, but they do have specific exam feedback in a private forum for members only. In this forum, there will be a dedicated thread for the Spanish CLEP with many posts, giving you an idea of what the test was like and what the most helpful study aids were. It's well worth a month's subscription, and if you don't agree, you can get your money back. I would recommend following the advice you read from actual test takers on the Instantcert specific exam forum....then take the exam. If the score is not good enough, study more and try the SAT II Subject Test. Hopefully the college grants credit for CLEP!

CLEP is a good choice, if your student plans to go to a school that accepts it for credit. The reasons I like CLEP exams is that they are: on-demand computer-based instantly scored multiple choice (for the most part) I've noticed that when a school accepts both AP and CLEP, they often require a "B" on the AP exam but a "C" on the corresponding CLEP. It doesn't make any sense, but it's true. Because students self-study for CLEP, they take the exams when they are ready. They don't have to wait until May if they feel ready in October. There are resources for CLEP and other alternative sources of credit on http://degreeplanners.com/ See videos on how to coordinate credit-by-exam with high school courses in the Homeschool/Earn College Credit section. Oh, and if your student "fails" a CLEP, no one has to know about it. On the CLEP transcript request form your student can pick and choose the scores to send....and there is an option to send only scores of 50+ (generally passing).

No, you don't have to be in the military. I'm amazed at the varied list of courses and certifications recommended by ACE (including some IT certs). As with AP, CLEP, etc., it's up to individual colleges whether or not they'll accept the credit. http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse.main&firstLetter=A Sandra

Yes. Thomas Edison State College in NJ is a college that takes ALEKs credit transcripted by ACE. Search the college website for ACE - For example, here is a state school in NC that accepts ACE credit ...I don't know if they specifically accept ALEKS, but their policy is encouraging. http://www.wcu.edu/24232.asp

This is the page to sign up for a free 2-month trial for homeschoolers. http://www.aleks.com/webform/c45 They periodically offer a 2-for-1 deal where you can register 2 children for the price of 1. If it becomes available during your trial period, they'll send you an email offer.

We had to move both boys in the same weekend to two different schools. We fit everything for both boys in the RAV4. For extra storage, we bought a rooftop cargo bag (used it for bedding). You can fold one or both seats down. It's roomy. It's the largest vehicle we've owned--all of our other cars have been Toyota Camrys.

MamaOfBlessings, I sent you a PM.

Have you tried searching for human growth and development site:degreeforum.net You'll find a lot of feedback there. Unless you're a subscriber, you can't see the Specific Exam Feedback area, but it's invaluable in preparing for CLEPs. You can get a discount code here: http://www.degreeplanners.com/?Instantcert.com -- Watch the video if you're not familiar with this CLEP prep site. Good luck!